Matthew Goodlad, Vice Principal for Curriculum - Young People, The Sheffield College, highlights the benefits of T Levels for students and employers.
Preparing young people and adults for their future careers and transforming lives through learning is at the heart of everything we do.
At The Sheffield College, we deliver our mission in a myriad of ways and one of those is by offering the flagship T Level qualification.
As we mark T Levels Week, we’re really proud of the achievements of our first cohort of 106 students who successfully completed the two-year qualification in summer 2025.
The backing of employers is crucial to T level students’ success given that an industry placement comprises 20% of the course. This has proven challenging for some colleges to organise give the substantive commitment.
However, we are delighted that 100% of our first cohort completed an industry placement, which is testament to our staff and fantastic support from employers including Aviva, the Department for Education, FluidOne, Kitlocker, Pentagon Group, Pryor Marking, Radius Aerospace, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Vinci Construction and Wates. We’ve even provided global placement opportunities for T Level students with construction and digital projects in Bali and Fiji after securing Turing Scheme funding.
Spending time with an employer really makes a difference. Our students have told us that it boosts their confidence and real world skills, and gives them a greater understanding of how to communicate and behave within a workplace environment.
Encouragingly, our students’ achievements also include a 100% pass rate in five T Levels:
- Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction
- Digital Production Design and Development
- Education and Early Years
- Health
- Management and Administration
Staff within the childcare subject area have received recognition nationally for their T Level delivery; their students not only achieved a 100% pass rate but 100% high grades as well.
It is clear to us that T Levels have an important role to play equipping young people with industry relevant skills for successful careers and supporting the economy. Construction, engineering, digital and healthcare employers, for example, face workforce shortages. T Levels help to build a local talent pipeline.
We offer T Levels across 11 subject areas: animal care, automotive and motor vehicle, building technologies, business, childcare, engineering, fashion and textiles, health and social care, IT and computing, media and science including the new T Level in Marketing.
Our students train in the latest industry standard facilities, as seen by the official launch of the Advanced Technology Centre, to ensure they develop their industry specific skills.
All of this reflects a wider commitment in the college’s Strategic Plan 2025 – 2030 to deliver a curriculum that keeps pace with industry and the latest employer skills.
Since T Levels were introduced in 2020, the number of subject areas and educational institutions offering them has grown along with the 16 to 19-year-olds studying them.
Recent figures indicate that nationally around 25,500 young people enrolled on T Levels in more than 20 subject areas in September 2024. There are ambitions to scale that up to more than 66,000 by September 2029, according to a UK Parliament Public Accounts Committee report published this year.
Ensuring parity of esteem between technical and traditional academic qualifications was a key reason for T Levels, which are relatively new compared to other qualifications.
It’s worth remembering that the top T Level grade, a distinction*, is equivalent to three A Levels at A*. This means students have a choice to go straight into employment, an apprenticeship or onto university to study a degree as demonstrated by our first cohort of completers.
Some challenges still remain with T Levels. There is still a way to go before they become as familiar as A Levels. There needs to be greater awareness of the qualification amongst parents, young people and employers.
Nationally, only a third of employers are aware of T Levels. Likewise, not every employer feels ready to offer placements. There is an employer support fund that provides assistance to those offering industry placements.
Colleges have had to adapt quickly to deliver these new qualifications. In our experience, however, they are a great option for young people who already know where they are heading career wise. The support we have received from employers has been brilliant and we would like to thank them for that.
T Levels are an important part of our curriculum, which also includes a wide range of vocational and academic qualifications, and they are here to stay. Find out more at our upcoming open days.
If you’re an employer and want to get involved, email Industryplacements@sheffcol.ac.uk.
